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more ace shuck and jive. first you post a string of nonsense about the "lack of clarity" from the obama administration concerning libya then you get called on it and you are shocked---shocked i say---that anyone would think that you can't distinguish marketing material from real-life, even though throughout your "objections" you referenced nothing but marketing material. but you "know the difference" and "anyone who tried to understand you" would know that you do---except that you write as though there is no difference until that poses a problem for you and then you deny that you did it.
it's lame.
the problem with the libya operation from a strategic viewpoint is already becoming clear. it's like somehow the militaries woke up this morning and realized that the airstrikes aren't stopping people from getting killed in misrata, in zahwihya, etc by gadhafi's militias. it's like some strange repeat of the first weeks of world war 1 except with lots of incredibly expensive shiny weapons systems and a healthy dose of techonology fetishism (keep those budget lines open) to delude people into thinking that they'll be home by christmas.
for example, despite the pounding visited upon kadhafi's air force and armor in open ground, the rebels haven't been able to organize a counter. shocking. they aren't a military. they're facing a military.
and here is the source of much of the ambivalence i think most people feel when they look at what's happening---assuming that one accepts the premise of the action (there are arguments both ways about that---the only stupid position is that the action was wrong because obama is the one who authorized it---you know, the wingnut position.)
in le monde this morning, the headline is: revolution or war.
those are the options: either there is a general uprising in every city in libya---and soon----that changes the terrain of the game or the path seems quite clearly open to ground troops in libya. from there things will get ugly fast.
so the united states is looking to avoid getting hoovered into the bloodbath.
and gadhafi seems to be counting on the idea that when it comes to taking the next step the west won't have the stomach for it.
so it's a game of chicken. a nationalist dick-waving thing.
that is about as clear as it gets in this situation.
except that lots of people are dying. that's clear.
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a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear
it make you sick.
-kamau brathwaite
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